Plastic Free July Ideas

50 Ideas for Participating in Plastic Free July

1. My entire clothes drying system has been slowly transitioning to plastic free over the past months but this July I finally finished the process. I have also made a commitment to minimising single use soft plastics in my grocery shopping by sourcing bulk refillable options as much as possible, bamboo toothbrushes, bars instead of bottles etc. This is a very hard area in which to achieve perfection, but I am working on it!
2. I have almost entirely rid myself of single use plastic (cups, cutlery, bulk and refill containers) and also sharing. So many of my friends say "you are so good, but it’s so hard". One day I put a few tips up and now I regularly do and have got so many more doing too.
3. I take my shopping bags to put my fresh fruit and veg in not plastic bags. I'm not using cling wrap to cover food. I've gone back to putting food in the fridge in China or Pyrex containers.
4. I am aiming to use only reusable bags for groceries (including produce) and reduce (or eliminate) straw use. I think it's time to take my reusable straws when I go out!
5. I feel passionately about plastics and rubbish in general from my walks through our beautiful bushland and beaches, the amount of rubbish I have cleaned up, makes me mad that people come to beautiful places then leave their rubbish behind! I also just finished watching on Netflix- dirty money, Formosa where all our plastics originate. Shocking to say the least!
6. We will avoid disposable coffee cups (and use our own cups instead), make all our own snacks from scratch (no packets of bickies!) and take our own containers if we buy takeaway food.
7. My daughter, 11 years old, is leading the charge. Our family no longer accepts single use straws, single use plastic bags and where possible single use coffee cups, we have reusable cloth bags for our fruit and veg, and stainless clothes pegs. Not just plastic free July, but a way of life for our family.
8. Current ways we're participating in plastic free July - stainless steel pegs, reusable produce bags, bamboo toothbrushes, bar soaps instead of body wash. Next purchase will be some reusable baking tray mats!
9. By using reusable net bags for fruit and vegetables, and not choosing food unnecessarily packaged in plastic. Also by choosing food not wrapped in plastic. We try to use silicone wraps instead of cling wrap.
10. I use a straw shopping basket, silicon lids on ceramic bowls I made myself, and glass jars. I produce very little garbage. I grow my own veggies and compost scraps.
11. I love using my R-Pet Mesh produce bags every time I buy fruit and veg at the store. When I get home I add a few drops of lemon essential oil and Castile soap to water and wash the produce in it bag and all, then hang to dry. It is so easy now and I love not having loads of plastic bags to dispose of.
12. Refusing to use plastic straws, plastic water bottles and trying to make more of a conscious effort with the things I use for everyday use.
13. I recently purchased the mesh produce bags and am using them at the supermarket or my local market for my fruit and vegetables. I'm telling my friends and family about them (have shared the link to your website with them). I have the silicone bowl covers, but my husband forgets to use them, so this week I've hidden the pack of plastic wrap so he can't find it!!
14. I will endeavour to source bulk clothes washing and dishwashing liquids, change to buying milk in cartons AND continue to encourage family and friends to ditch plastic.
15. I am participating in plastic free July by checking all products at home to see where I can reduce plastic use and making more informed choices when shopping. Our plastic use is relatively low but there are still improvements to be made.
16. Remembering to recycle all my soft plastics and trying to reduce the amount of soft plastics I bring into my house by growing my own herbs
17. I bought 3 packs of Activated Eco stainless steel pegs- one for myself, one for our daughter's family and one for our daughter-in-law's family. They have been appreciated and used when the plastic pegs have broken. No more buying pegs.
18. I am in Melbourne and part of more lockdowns. I get torn between wanting to support local food businesses during this time and being anti-take away containers. I will source and share a list of local places that either allow customers to still take their own containers or use compostable containers.
19. I have started to use beeswax wrap on my food in the fridge.
20. Avoiding single use plastic packaging is something we aim for in our house. We are going to aim to do more baking at home to cut back on plastics on snack food. And buy more items in bulk or cardboard packaging.
21. I use a reusable coffee cup and buy my vegetables without packaging and don't use straws and use Pyrex reusable containers to store any leftovers etc.
22. I'm loving my silicone pouches from Activated Eco to freeze fresh soup, meats and leftovers!
23. I'm participating by noting down what products I can purchase at the bulk food store. I'll then be able to take my empty bags and jars to refill and thus limiting the amount of plastic packaging compared to buying at the supermarket.
24. I am always avoiding single use plastics in shops, I have a large range of non plastic bags and containers to put my purchases in, I do not use straws or takeaway coffee cups, and we have mostly glass containers at home.
25. I'm participating in plastic free July by reusing and re-purposing plastic items I currently have, continuing to swap out current plastic items I have, and encouraging my family to do the same.
26. This Plastic-Free July I am focusing on other areas of our house, as the kitchen is now tucking over well without plastic. Gardening gloves, natural and Plastic-Free alternatives to garden chemicals and fertilizers, soil by the trailer load instead of bags, reusing spray bottles in the laundry with homemade cleaners, and sourcing laundry detergents in glass or cardboard. My biggest step this year is to encourage more friends and family to also make permanent changes during Plastic-Free July!
27. No more take away coffee cups, using my own containers for take away food, bulk food shopping, hand making my own beeswax wraps, no soft plastics purchased anymore, using cotton bags for veggies and fruit, transitioning to homemade, DIY, eco beauty products!
28. I'm just getting into waste free products, I love using reusable straws and taking my own cutlery when going to a party and I've just purchased your pegs and I'm so excited for them to arrive and start using them.
29. This semester I am studying at University a course - "Environmental Psychology: How to Tame an Ecological Killer". (*Humans are the ecological killers!) For the course, I have to do a self-change project targeting unsustainable behaviour. Soft-plastic food packaging is what I will reduce!
30. Ditching plastic sock hangers for the washing. Boom! *mic drop*
31. I am fighting a one woman war against the amount of plastic bags and wraps thrown in the dumpster at our Op Shop. I haven't yet found anyone who'll take the good ones . If worst comes to worst I'll put them in the Coles recycling bags.
32. I've bought reusable produce bags and haven't used plastic bags since purchasing them. I feel as if I'm some small way I am supporting the cause.
33. I have successfully worked in promoting the Activated Eco name and products by showing people the advantages of my purchases against the use of plastics.
34. I am making fabric bags to give to friends and family so they can use them and say no to plastic shopping bags. I also purchased stainless steel pegs and a straw and bag from your online store.
35. I've bought stainless steel pegs plus a shampoo bar and dishwashing bar to use instead of buying plastic bottles.
36. Apart from doing away with plastic pegs now that we have our pack from Activated Eco, we are also reusing plastic bags if we get them with our fruit and veg - using again and again until no longer useful. We also use vegs bags that we can pack into when we buy our fruit and veg - just need to remember to take them into the store. Using reusable containers for leftovers is also our practice - no more throwaways. While there are more things we need to do, we are getting better and better at recycling as well Activated Eco offers many alternatives for the thoughtful consumer.
37. I invest in eco-friendly products, such as pegs, sock hangers, glass straws, indestructible wrought iron cookware, glass storage containers. Even purchasing them as eco-friendly gifts.
38. Buying loose produce over packaged fruit and veg. Baking more at home rather than purchasing biscuits. Drinking water over bottled soft drinks. Using reusable containers for leftovers and lunches.
39. I replaced almost all plastic items in my household with glass, steel or ceramic or permanent use and I recycle, reuse things for years already to help our environment and future generations!
40. Plastic free July.... no more single use disposable plastic bags in my kitchen, using washable, mostly glass containers, my basket for shopping and beeswax covers. Supporting my local green grocer, butcher and lots of yummy home baking. All helps to reduce plastic waste and keeps my small town and community vibrant and my family well nourished. Thank you for your amazing products. So happy with the silicone mats.
41. Never use single plastic bags, I do my shopping at the source and local farmers market. If I happen to end up with a plastic container I will reuse it.
42. I am presenting a session for each year group in my high school about plastic free July. Showing the effects of plastic pollution and challenging students to take three for the sea. Hopefully it has a massive ripple effect!
43. Gift giving reusable items such as silicone lids to friends and family. Hopefully spreading the word!
44. We run a food programme from our church and I have substituted plastic takeaway containers for bio and compostable containers. I use glass containers in my fridge and reuse plastic pots in my garden rather than putting them in the rubbish. I buy my pantry goods from our local plastic free pantry and use cloth bags for shopping .
45. One room at a time, plastic items are being removed, recycled and replaced with natural products.
46. We try and use reusable everyday from cloth nappies, sandwich lunchbox to stainless steel begs.
47. I am trying to make one swap per day in July. So far I have...swapped out two kitchen brushes, the kitchen sponge, the kitchen scourer, switched to hand wash packaged in glass, swapped to stainless steel pegs, swapped to plant loofah & sisal exfoliating glove, swapped to reusable face mask, swapped my hair care to shampoo & conditioner bars, body bars and face bars, konjac face & body sponges, square silicone food covers (so I would LOVE the round!), swapped to cardboard packaged deodorant, swapped to recycled toilet paper, ordered stainless steel bubble tea straws & silicone baking mats, swapped to skincare packaged in glass, ordered tooth tablets and mouthwash tablets, swapped to corn starch toothbrushes, made our own dishwashing powder, ordered Hudstone laundry powder (packaged in compostable packaging), swapped to a metal aromatherapy car diffuser, got my husband to stop buying new plastic bags each time he picks up groceries, and never forgotten my reusable coffee cup and water thermos. Still have a list of other things we can swap out at home as we use up the plastic versions and will keep replacing as we go!
48. We try to be as plastic-free as possible every month (not just July!). We have replaced plastic pegs with stainless steel ones, replaced cling wrap with beeswax wraps and silicone bowl covers, and have been gradually replacing plastic containers/lunch boxes with stainless steel or glass.
49. No bin liners ,metal pegs,bamboo toothbrush,cloth produce bags,refill bottles where possible,no take away plastic container, no plastic carry bags,washable wiping cloths are some ways l'm reducing my plastic footprint.
50. I have lots of friends having birthdays in July.. they are all getting reusable silicone baking mats!

Thank you to all our customers for sharing these wonderful ideas!